


Messy Journeys

by octopies



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Also Snufkin has a ton of cat like traits, Everybody cares about Snufkin, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Theres a lot of family interaction here and it’s all sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:10:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18886912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopies/pseuds/octopies
Summary: When Snufkin comes back one spring all messy, scraped up, and dirty from his latest adventure, the Moomin family fuss over him and do their best to get him clean, no matter how much the Mumrik protests against it.Snufkin eventually has to give in and let the family care for him, whether he likes it or not.





	Messy Journeys

Soft blue eyes opened slowly, rounded ears twitching to the sound of birds chirping. With a yawn, a young Moomin sat up in his bed, stretching his arms in the air.

“Spring already?” a high voice mumbled aloud, his excitement not able to break through his sleepiness. With another yawn the troll moved to get out of bed, padding to his window. With a look behind sleepy, droopy eyes, Moomintroll observed the nature outside. Flowers were blooming in almost every direction, and a pretty sight it was. The snow was melting quickly, and soon there would not be even a hint that it was still only winter the day before.

Moomin was also trying to look for something else very specific—a sound coming from the instrument of his best friend that usually greeted him first thing in the morning once spring came. However, he heard nothing but the songs from the birds and the gentle noise of the spring breeze. Moomin didn’t let his hopes get down yet, though—it wasn’t the first time his dear friend hadn’t been back this early.

The troll decided to focus on something else for the time being. Darting from his room, the troll began to head downstairs, already feeling his stomach rumbling with hunger. “Wake up! Spring has come!” he shouted excitedly as feet thumped against the stairs, descending down the staircase. “Wake up! Wake up!” 

Unsurprisingly, nobody was in the living room or the kitchen. He did tend to wake up a little earlier than everyone else, mostly because he always had something to look forward to.

Moomin’s ears flicked towards the stairs, hearing the sound of footsteps head down the stairs with a light stomp, followed by grumbling. Immediately, he knew who it was.

“Do you have to be so loud?” the source of the noises complained with a pout, large green eyes meeting soft blue ones as the troll looked down at the short Mymble. Her hair, usually nicely kept in a short ponytail atop her head, was slightly messy with some strands of hair out of the band, red hair falling around her face and framing it. It was in that moment that the troll realized he had never before seen My without a ponytail.

“Why, of course, Little My! It’s spring time!” Moomin grinned and looked out the window, again listening for that familiar tune, but coming up with once again nothing. “Why aren’t you as excited as me?”

“Because some of us would like to sleep a little longer!” Little My crossed her arms with a huff, hopping on top of the couch and taking a seat.

Moomin rolled his eyes fondly. “Well, nobody’s keeping you up, My.”

“Might as well stay up. I’m already up now.” 

“Then don’t complain!” the troll laughed, ruffling the red hair which earned him a growl and a swipe of black paws that missed when the white one had stepped back. 

“We should go wake Mamma and Pappa up, I’m starving!” Little My broke the short silence that lingered, rubbing her stomach for emphasis. “I’m surprised they’re not up with how loud your voice is.”

Moomintroll thought for a moment. “Okay, let’s! I’m sure they won’t mind too much. Race you?”

My grinned at him mischievously, her eyes glinting. “Oh, you’re on!” She hopped off the couch with a soft thud when her boots made contact with the floor. 

Moomintroll immediately took off running without warning, causing the Mymble to shout at the unfairness and quickly scramble to catch up with him, hurrying after the troll as he raced up the stairs. Tiny black paws reached out in front of her and grabbed ahold of the white tail ahead, being dragged along. The troll tried to protest but Little My only laughed mischievously, holding on. She let go the closer they got to the shared room between the Moomin parents.

“Mamma! Pappa!” both voices sounded, similar to excited children on the morning of Christmas. Little My hopped on Moominmamma’s side of the bed, jumping up and down before bouncing over to the father’s side, attempting to wake them up. Moomintroll climbed up on the bed, squirming in between the small space between the sleeping forms of his parents. “Mamma, Pappa, wake up!”

With the help of Little My’s excited bouncing and the sudden dip of Moomin’s weight in the middle of the bed, the two Moomin parents began to stir, blinking eyes awake with sleepy sounds and yawns, adjusting to the environment around them after hibernating for months. Moominmamma was the first to come to her senses fully, sitting up in bed.

“Oh, my,” she spoke softly, not having much time to say much else before a sudden weight landed itself in her lap, looking down to see the little Mymble sat in her lap and looking up at her. My wrapped her arms around the Moomin mother, hugging her. Moominmamma returned the embrace to the Mymble who was like a daughter to her at this point. She then removed one paw to stroke the head of the smaller Moomin that had made his way in between her and Moominpappa.

“My dears, what has got you all excited this morning?” she finally asked, giving both of them a loving, curious glance. Meanwhile, Moominpappa was still stirring sleepily. Moominmamma noticed My’s unkempt hair and with a paw she gently pulled the hair tie out, letting the red lock fall around her face. Quickly, she pulled it back up, back in the Mymble’s usual style.

“It’s spring!” Moomintroll answered with a grin, looking up at his mother.

“And we’re hungry!” My added, removing her arms from the Moomin mother. She got up, a dip in the mattress from where her boots dug in. She began to bounce again, moving away, before hopping up and landing right on top of Moominpappa’s chest. “Come on, get up!” 

Upon impact, the Moomin father let out an ‘oof’ and quickly sat up, causing the devilish Mymble to roll off with giggles full of mischief. “What has gotten into you?” Moominpappa spoke sleepily, a slight fond tone in his voice as he reached out to pick up Little My, paws underneath her arms as he held her out in front of him, the Mymble playfully baring her fangs at him, tail swishing. “Is it still winter?”

Moomintroll shook his head. “Spring, Pappa!” he answered, causing the larger Moomin to look down at his son, not having even noticed the little troll beside him. 

“My boy, what’s the special occasion?”

“Oh, nothing, Pappa,” Moomintroll answered truthfully. “I’m just excited because it’s spring! We’re both very hungry.”

Moominmamma had already gotten out of bed and began putting her apron on. “Breakfast will be started very soon, Moomin,” she hummed, eyes closed as she tied the apron behind her back. “Would you like to help, Pappa?”

“Of course, dear,” Moominpappa sat Little My down on the bed and got out, putting on his top hat. Together, the family of four walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen.

“Is there anything special you’d like to eat?” Moominmamma asked the two little ones, and they thought. 

“Oh, what about biscuits! And jam?” Moomintroll spoke up, which was good enough for My as well and she nodded along.

“What about fruit?” Little My asked, watching as Moominmamma began taking out the needed ingredients.

“We would have to go pick some, dear,” Mamma answered as she set the stuff on the counter, and the two Moomin parents set to work. 

Moomin hung around his parents as they worked, watching with intent eyes as they prepared breakfast. Little My hopped on the counter and began playing around, watching them work and idly dancing around on the surface, careful to avoid the parents and not get in the way of their work. Neither Moomin parents minded them.

Once breakfast was ready, they sat at the table with plates, having fixed plenty of food both for seconds or in case they had any guests over who were hungry from hibernation like they were.

“Thanks, Mamma and Pappa!” Moomintroll smiled, hungrily looking at a biscuit as he grabbed it and spread raspberry jam on it. “It looks yummy!”

“Thank you!” Little My echoed the troll, voice muffled with her mouth stuffed full of her breakfast. That earned her a laugh from the Moomins.

“Say, my boy,” Moominpappa began as he set his hat down on the table beside him before beginning to eat. “Have you seen Snufkin yet?”

“Not yet, Pappa,” the little Moomin answered, taking his first bite. “But I hope he’s here soon! I miss him.”

“What’s new?” Little My snorted, earning a playful glare from blue eyes and a kick underneath the table. “Hey!” The Mymble returned the kick, dark brown boots coming in contact with a fuzzy knee.

“Settle down, you two,” Moominmamma hummed fondly, cutting apart her food. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon, dear. Perhaps he would like to join us for breakfast, or just grab left overs if he’s a little later than usual.”

“Maybe, Mamma!” Moomin smiled, turning his attention to the window, ears pointed in that direction. He let out a sigh, daydreaming about the Mumrik and how excited he was for his return.

Moominpappa let out a thoughtful noise. “A strange one, that Snufkin boy is,” he hummed, earning a curious glance from Moomintroll and Little My. “Almost exactly like his father, and they’ve never even met.”

“Do you think Snufkin’s pappa will ever come around?” Moomintroll asked his father, curious. In all honesty, he’d like to meet him himself just to see where exactly his best friend got all the traits from that made him feel so unique to the white troll.

“I don’t know, my boy,” Moominpappa answered truthfully, thinking. “I haven’t seen the Joxter in many, many years…I’ve lost count.”

“Pappa, do you think Joxter is my dad too?” Little My asked, standing up in her chair with a toothy grin, fangs poking out. Moominpappa chuckled and shook his head.

“No, dear, not an ounce of Mumrik in that Mymble inside you! Though, you seem to share some Mumrik traits, must have gotten them from being around your brother,” Pappa spoke, thinking back to how Little My had jumped on and laid down on top of him in bed, not to mention when she had crawled into Moominmamma’s lap for a hug, though he didn’t see that. It reminded him of the cat-like tendencies of his old friend the Joxter, and then seeing those same habits in the Mumrik’s son.

“Do you think Joxter knows he has a son?” Moomintroll asked, voice pitched high with curiosity.

“It’s hard to say, Moomin,” Moominpappa answered truthfully. “It’s very unlike him to have a son and just wander off without even meeting him…yet at the same time, that exact outcome would be expected. Rather strange fella.”

The two young ones didn’t have any more questions as they continued eating, the white troll thinking about Snufkin and his family. He wondered how Snufkin must feel about his situation. Little My was the only one around who was the closest thing to blood family, as well as their older sister. Although it wasn’t exactly the same as the relationship between Moomin and his parents, he imagined Mamma and Pappa must be the only creatures Snufkin’s had even slightly close to parental figures. The white troll decided not to think on it too much and he let the thoughts slip his mind.

His thoughtful demeanor didn’t go unnoticed, though. “Something on your mind, dear?” Moominmamma spoke up, looking at the little troll.

“Probably thinking about Snufkin,” Little My grinned, looking over at the troll.

“And what if I was?” Moomintroll countered playfully, looking over at the Mymble with a mock angry expression. 

Little My raised her hands defensively with a snort. “You’re always thinking about him! Don’t you have anything else to occupy your little brain?”

“Hush, Little My,” Moominmamma gently chided the little Mymble, though she knew it was only playful banter between the two. “It just shows that Moomintroll cares deeply about our dear Snufkin.”

“Mamma…” Moomin weakly protested, blushing.

“Cares? More like obsesses,” Little My snarked with a playful glance towards the troll, who stuck his tongue out at her. The Mymble didn’t actually care about the bond between her brother and her friend, but it was rather fun to tease the troll and watch his white fur heat up into a pink blush.

Moomintroll was about to say something when a sudden soft sound filled every ear at the table, barely audible from the distance but loud enough to be heard by anyone who was listening. A new tune, one that the troll had never heard of. It was a happy sound, a quickly paced song filled with excitement and joy. 

Before Moomin was able to announce his excitement, Moominmamma gave him an understanding look. “Finish your plate, dear, then you can go see Snufkin,” she hummed at him.

“Yes, Mamma!” Moomintroll nodded and began eating again, trying to pick up pace but not eat too quickly so that he wouldn’t get a stomachache. His parents gently laughed at their son’s enthusiasm. 

When he was finished, he was quick to stand up from the table, his chair almost toppling over behind him. Before anyone else could say anything, the young troll was rushing out of the house. “Thank you for breakfast! I’ll see if Snufkin wants to come eat!”

Moomintroll raced down the path, panting as he was becoming out of breath but didn’t want to stop. The sound of the sweet tune grew closer and closer, louder and louder. When he was sure that Snufkin was close, he suddenly crashed into a body, toppling both of them over at the other side of the bridge.

“S-Snufkin!” the troll gasped, lifting himself off of the Mumrik who looked rather dazed below him from the impact of the ground. “Snufkin! Oh, I’m so sorry, Snufkin, are you alright?” The troll sat back on his knees, taking his paws and grasping the Mumrik’s paws, lifting him up.

Snufkin sat up, shaking his head to rid the dizziness. He huffed and couldn’t help but start laughing, looking at the troll. “It’s alright, Moomintroll. It’s good to see you.”

Moomin lifted himself to his feet and helped the Mumrik stand up. “In fact,” Snufkin went on. “I’m overjoyed to see you! How I’ve missed you, my friend.” 

“And you too, Snufkin,” the troll giggled happily, watching as the Mumrik leaned down to pick up his harmonica from the ground. Moomin observed the creature carefully. He was rather dirty, smudges of dirt and mud dusting his cheeks with dirt and grass stains all over his clothes and hat. His brown hair was messy, or at least messier than usual, and it didn’t look as soft as it usually did. 

“Oh, my friend, I can’t wait to tell you of the stories from my journey. How exciting they were!” Snufkin took the white troll’s paws and held them in his own, gazing into the blue eyes with a joyous expression.

“I can tell, Snufkin,” the troll giggled, watching as the cat-like creature took his paws away and looked at him with a questioning tilt of his head. Snufkin’s touch left behind dirt that stuck out like mud in a blanket of snow. With a chuckle, the troll wiped his hands off. “Snufkin, you’re terribly dirty! Don’t you think you need to wash?”

“Hmm, maybe so,” Snufkin smiled, looking down at himself. “I just haven’t found the time to, I’ve been much too excited to come back to Moominvalley and see you.” 

“Oh, nevermind that right now! Would you like some breakfast? Mamma and Pappa made biscuits with jam!”

“Well, I must set up my stuff eventually, but…” Snufkin looked into the hopeful gaze of his best friend. “Taking a short break won’t hurt.” 

“Well, come on then!” Moomintroll raced towards the house and Snufkin quickly caught up to them. He joked, “Will Mamma and Pappa even let you in the house?”

“I don’t know, Moomin,” Snufkin spoke honestly, following behind him as the troll opened the door. “Maybe I can just dip in, grab some food, then dip out.”

The two walked in together, holding paws, making their way towards the kitchen after Snufkin set his bag down in the living room. When they entered, there was a gasp from Moominmamma.

“Oh, my,” Moominmamma was quick to get out of her seat, rushing over to the dirty Mumrik. “Dear, what has happened to you?” 

Moominpappa mumbled, looking down at Snufkin’s boots. He had tracked in mud through the house. “Hmm. Just like your father.”

Moominmamma’s paws cupped Snufkin’s cheeks, moving his face around to inspect him for any cuts or bruises. 

“I’m fine, Mamma,” Snufkin laughed, trying to move the Moomin’s paws away from his face but was unable to. “Just had a very exciting adventure.” Moominmamma removed the green hat, placing it on the table. The brown hair was ruffled in every direction, sticking up in places where it usually didn’t, and caked with dust and dirt. 

“My, my, you need to bathe, my dear,” Moominmamma hummed, letting go of his face but moving to his arms, lifting them and rolling up the sleeves. There were a few scrapes and scratches here and there along his arms, and she could expect the same for his legs and knees. She shook her head. “Dear, these will get infected.”

Moomin and Little My tried to stifle their giggles, watching as Snufkin was fussed over, which made him blush wildly. “Really, Moominmamma, I’m fine,” the Mumrik whined with embarrassment, appearing almost like a pouty child. The Moomin mother removed his yellow scarf and placed it where his hat was.

“How’s this—I’ll run you a bath, and treat your wounds. How does that sound?”

“I can do it myself, I—“

“I wonder if they’re already infected…Oh, dear, I’m just glad you’re alright. You can tell us about your adventures later, alright?” Moominmamma patted the top of one of Snufkin’s dirty paws. Moominmamma turned to the other older Moomin. “Pappa, would you find something for Snufkin to wear? I need to wash his clothes.”

Moomintroll couldn’t help the giggle that escaped as he watched Snufkin’s pupils dilate and the Mumrik hurried to take off his boots, leaving him with just his dark brown paws. Moomintroll turned to his father. “He could wear your nightgown!” the troll giggled, thinking about how the striped blue and white shirt would look on the Mumrik. It’d be much too big for him and would probably swallow his slim body, meeting and dragging against the floor.

“Hmm, perhaps,” Moominpappa scratched the back of his head in thought. “I’ll find something for him.”

Oblivious to everyone, nobody noticed how Snufkin quietly began to slink away from the group once the attention was turned away from him, leaving the kitchen. He was embarrassed and definitely did not want to be cared for by the mother, even with how kind the offer was. 

Everyone quickly snapped to where Snufkin had once been, startled by the sound of the kitchen door slamming shut followed by the distant thumping of feet as they ran up the stairs in the living room. 

“Clever boy,” Moominpappa observed as he got up from his seat at the table, looking where the Mumrik had left his boots. “He left his shoes so he wouldn’t track mud.”

“Come on, Moomin, let’s go find him!” Little My laughed and hopped down from her seat, already racing out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“You two bring him down when you find him, alright? I’m going to go run the bath water,” Moominmamma hummed and the two parents set off in different directions to ready things.

“Yes, Mamma!” Moomintroll nodded towards her and ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs. He heard Little My run from room to room, shouting for her brother but not ending up with much luck. 

“I can’t find him!” Little My placed her paws on her hips, her tail lashing with playful irritation. She looked up at Moomin. “Do you know where he’d hide?”

“Hmm, no, not really. Let’s split up, okay?”

“Already on it,” Little My grinned devilishly and took off again, off to explore more rooms she hadn’t been in yet.

Moomin ran off and went inside Pappa’s study room. He saw nothing but unfinished memoirs on his desk, abandoned until another time. The troll padded over and looked underneath the desk, but found nothing. “Hmm, nothing here..There’s not really anywhere to hide in here.” All of a sudden, he heard the creaking of the open door, assuming it was Little My. He was about to turn to ask if she’d found anything when he saw a familiar brown tail disappear out the door and run off in a different direction.

Moomin gasped, “Snufkin!” He had been hiding behind the door! The troll tried to chase after him but when he reached the hallway, the Mumrik was nowhere to be seen. He was fast when he wanted to be.

Moomintroll raced into his parent’s room, checking underneath the beds and underneath the covers but finding nothing. He figured the sneaky Mumrik would be much too polite to dirty up their room in this little game. He left and then headed into the room that Little My occupied.

“Snufkin?” Moomintroll began as he climbed up to the top bunk, but finding nothing there. “Hmm.” He hopped down and checked the bottom bunk, then underneath the bed. His eyes met with large, dilated brown ones and the white troll squeaked with surprise as well as joy.

“Found you, silly!” Moomin giggled, reaching underneath to pull out the Mumrik as he struggled. It was similar to trying to pull a stubborn cat out of a hiding place. “How’d you even get underneath there? Nevermind that, your bath is ready!” 

“No, Moomin, please, I—“ Snufkin tried to protest as he continued to struggle, being dragged out from underneath the bed by his best friend. “Moomin!”

“You wouldn’t want to keep Mamma waiting, would you?” Moomintroll smiled at him as he held the antsy Mumrik in his arms. Snufkin went entirely limp in his hold, and the troll had assumed he had given up. “I got you, Snufkin! Okay, let’s—“

Moomin’s voice was cut off with a squeak when a large blanket was suddenly draped over him and he let go of his hold on the creature. Snufkin had grabbed the comforter off Little My’s bed and threw it over on top of them, and he quickly scrambled out from underneath, leaving the room. 

Moomintroll huffed and was quick to throw it off of himself, gathering himself on his feet and running out of the room. He saw Snufkin’s tail disappear up the next set of stairs. “That was a dirty trick, Snufkin!” Moomintroll shouted, a small playful grin on his face. As much as he was having fun with their little chase, he knew he’d have to actually catch Snufkin eventually. He wanted to make sure he was tended to.

Moomintroll raced up the stairs and into his bedroom, finding the sneaky creature perched up on his window sill, the window open with widened eyes staring back at him. 

Oh, no, he was about to escape! “Snufkin!” Moomintroll stood in the bedroom entrance, looking at him with wide eyes.

The Mumrik had a playful, triumphant grin on his face, the hint of a fang poking out from underneath his top lip. “Sorry, Moomin,” the creature laughed. “Bye now!” With that, he began to head down the ladder hastily.

“Snufkin!” Moomintroll shouted and raced out of his room, running down the sets of stairs as fast as he could. He ran out the door and went around to where his ladder met, watching as the Mumrik hopped down onto the part of the building that covered the back porch. There, Moominmamma was on the back porch with a large, metal bath bucket full of hot water and bubbles that ran off the sides as they overflowed.

“Snufkin, if you don’t come down, I’ll climb up there to you!” Moomintroll challenged playfully, staring up at the Mumrik as he perched on the top of the building above the porch. 

“Really, Moomin?” Snufkin challenged right back, preparing himself to leap. When he did, Moomin was ready for him and he tried to block off the Mumrik as he landed on his feet. Snufkin skidded and turned on his heel, running off in a different direction. Moomin chased him but stopped when the Mumrik ran into the cellar.

“Mamma, Mamma! He’s in the cellar!” Moomintroll shouted to his mother as he ran back to the porch.

“Catch him for me, will you dear?” Moominmamma smiled and the young troll nodded, running back in the house to find Little My.

“Little My!” Moomintroll started when he found the Mymble in the kitchen with Moominpappa. “Snufkin’s in the cellar!”

“Oh, let’s trap him in!” Little My grinned and began to ran out the door. “You get the trapdoor!” As Little My ran outside to cover the entrance to the cellar outside, Pappa helped Moomin push a large bucket on top of the trap door in the kitchen.

“That should do it!” Moomintroll giggled as he sat on top of the bucket for extra measure. But also, if he knew Snufkin well enough, he knew the Mumrik would stay down there as long as he had to. They’d probably have to go get him eventually, and try the best they could to stop him from running away first.

Moomintroll was snapped from his thoughts when he heard shouting outside of the house and he ran outside along with his Pappa to see what the fuss was about. There, they saw Snufkin and Little My tumbling around in the grass below them. The little Mymble must not have been enough to keep the cellar door shut and Snufkin must have pushed past her. The troll could always count on Little My to get her way, though, watching as the stubborn little Mymble had a firm grasp on her brother no matter how hard he struggled.

“Get off!” Snufkin hissed at her, baring fangs and fur bristling. My only bared her fangs back in a toothy grin as she looked up at her brother. The siblings continued to wrestle in the soil as the two Moomins watched them, finding the brother and sister’s quarrel amusing. Snufkin yelped when Little My grabbed his tail and bit it. “My! You—“

“Alright, alright, that’s enough you two,” Moominpappa stepped in, wanting to break up the fight before one of them actually ended up hurting the other, knowing both of them were too stubborn to quit. He reached over and pried the little Mymble off her brother, then took the Mumrik up into his arms. Pappa had his arms wrapped around underneath Snufkin’s like he was holding a cat. Snufkin hissed and brought up his feet, trying to kick away at the large Moomin’s arms and get him to unleash his hold but the father did not budge, even when a few unsheathed claws grazed the surface of his skin lightly. Snufkin would apologize for it later. Right now, he was too lost in the moment.

“Please,” Snufkin growled, still struggling in the hold. “I can do it myself! Pappa!”

“Fussy, fussy child,” Moominpappa only hummed, carrying the Mumrik over towards the bath. “Be careful, Mamma. He’s a little feisty one.”

Snufkin turned around in Pappa’s hold, large brown eyes gazing up at the father. “Please,” the Mumrik tried again, his voice softer this time. “I’m fine, really. I can do it on my own, I promise!”

Moominpappa only laughed as he stared down at the son of his old time friend. How alike they were. “I won’t fall for your Mumrik tricks, Snufkin. Now let’s get you clean, yes?”

Snufkin only sighed, giving up as the father set him down in front of Moominmamma. She gestured for him to undress and all of them turned away to give him some privacy, only looking back when they heard the Mumrik settle down fully into the water, covered by bubbles up to his chin. He hissed slightly as the water came in contact with the scrapes on his body. With a bashful grumble, the creature sank further into the water until the bubbles touched the tip of his nose.

“Like I said, be careful, Mamma,” Moominpappa stood beside his wife, looking down at the Mumrik. He showed her a few light scratches underneath his white fur where Snufkin’s feet had scratched him while he tried to escape, but they weren’t hard enough to break the skin. With a laugh, Pappa ruffled the dirty brown hair with a paw as he teased the creature. “He scratched me a couple of times. Ungrateful boy!”

Moominmamma hummed, “You’re fine, dear.” She began to pour a cup of water over the brown hair. Moomintroll watched as the brown hair fell and laid flat on his head. His hair was a little longer than he realized. The hair on his forehead fell in front of his eyes, covering them, but Moominmamma tenderly brushed it aside with a gentle paw. 

“So tell me, dear,” Moominmamma began softly as she continued to wash the Mumrik’s hair. She began lathering up shampoo on his head. “Would you rather have this, or bathe in a cold stream?” 

“Cold stream,” Snufkin mumbled, ears twitching. Mamma knew he didn’t actually mean that and only laughed softly in response, beginning to pour water on his head again to wash the soap out. 

Little My stood by the metal tub, watching her brother get tended to and she couldn’t help but laugh at the amusing sight. The Mumrik only gave his sister a glare. Getting an idea, he lifted a paw and sent soapy water flying in Little My’s direction, splashing her.

“Hey!” Little My growled, moving to counter attack but Moominpappa stopped her by lifting her up. 

“Calm down, you two,” Moominmamma spoke fondly with a smile on her muzzle.

“This makes me glad Moomin never had a sibling,” Moominpappa joked as Little My scrambled to sit on top of his head, kicking off the top hat. “Oh, don’t fall now, dear.”

Mamma wet a rag and covered it with soap, handing it to Snufkin. The creature took the idea and began to clean his body, wincing slightly as the soap ran over the tiny wounds on his arms. At least he was being more cooperative now that the embarrassment had vanished.

Moominmamma noticed the wincing and gently patted his back. “I’ll care for those as soon as you’re done, dear.” Snufkin only nodded in response. 

“Pappa, did you find clothes for Snufkin?” the young troll asked, looking up at his father. 

“Hmm, well, I have my night clothes, but…” Moominpappa set Little My down from his head and headed into the house, coming back out with a large nightgown with blue and white stripes. “This will have to do until Mamma washes his clothes.”

Snufkin finished up and left the rag in the bubbly water, looking over at Moominmamma. The mother only returned his look with a smile. “Are you finished, dear?”

“Yes, Mamma,” Snufkin nodded his confirmation and Moominmamma handed him a towel. Everyone looked away again as the Mumrik took it and stood up, wrapping the towel around his body.

“Careful not to slip, dear,” Mamma hummed as she watched the Mumrik step out of the tub, holding the towel with one paw as he dripped water onto the porch. Snufkin suddenly shivered as the spring breeze hit his wet head and his skin, a rush of cold running through his body. 

Moominmamma stood up. “Let’s get you inside, hun. Don’t worry about tracking water through the house. Just be careful so you don’t slip.” She led the Mumrik inside and stopped at the door. “Pappa, would you drain the bucket?”

Moominpappa nodded and set to work as Little My and Moomin followed the mother inside. Moomintroll held his father’s nightgown that he had offered over, and Mamma took it from him and handed it to Snufkin. He took it with one paw, holding the towel with the other.

“Take this and go change, alright?” Moominmamma spoke sweetly to him and the Mumrik nodded, heading upstairs into a room. Everyone waited until he came down, hair still dripping wet and wetting the shoulders of the gown. The fabric dragged against the floor as he walked, Snufkin being much too small for it to fit him properly. Snufkin reached the bottom of the stairs, the towel he had used dragging behind him. 

Moominmamma smiled at him and took the towel from his paw, covering his head with it and ruffling his hair, drying it. The brown hair fluffed up once she was done. 

“Snufkin!” Moomintroll grinned at his best friend, and the Mumrik returned the smile. “You look good as new!” 

“Yes, I suppose so,” the Mumrik hummed, calmed down from his previous fights. “I must go apologize to Moominpappa for scratching him.”

“He doesn’t mind, dear,” Moominmamma smiled at him.

“Still, though. Oh, and Mamma, I’m sorry for tracking mud through your house.”

Moominmamma ruffled the newly washed hair. “Don’t worry about it, Snufkin! Pappa and I will clean it up.”

Snufkin looked up at her with a tilt of his head. “Are you sure? I can help, if you’d like. I made the mess after all.”

Moominmamma shook her head. “You’re much too kind, Snufkin, but it’s really alright. Now, why don’t you go do what you need to, and I’ll help you with those scrapes? Then, I’ll begin washing your clothes.”

Snufkin only nodded, appreciative of the mother as he walked outside. Moomintroll and Little My followed behind him. The little Mymble played around as she walked behind her brother, occasionally stepping on the gown in front of her as it dragged the floor, and Snufkin only laughed at his sister’s antics.

“Pappa?” Snufkin began, catching the attention of the Moomin father as he looked up from his work as he drained the metal bucket. “I’m, uh, sorry for scratching you earlier. It’s rather embarrassing, really.”

“It’s quite alright, Snufkin,” Moominpappa responded, stepping closer to the three with the Mumrik’s underclothes and outerwear rolled up in his hold. “Take these to Mamma, won’t you dear?”

Snufkin took his clothes and with a nod and a wave he headed back inside. He handed his dirty clothes off to the Moomin mother and she set them aside, leading Snufkin into the kitchen with a round white paw on his back. She gestured for him to sit on the counter and he hopped ups, legs swaying as they hung down.

“Now, let me see those wounds, my dear…” her voice was soft as she hummed, taking Snufkin’s right arm to inspect the scratches as the Mumrik rolled up the sleeves for her. They were clean, and they weren’t infected like she had worried. She took some medicine out of the cabinets to rub it on to rid of any further harm and then stuck bandages on them. She repeated the steps for the next arm, then lifted the gown to where his knees showed to do the same thing for the scrapes on his lower legs. When she was finished with her work, she helped him gently off the counter.

“Don’t you feel better now, Snufkin?” Moomintroll asked him with a smile, and the Mumrik nodded. His eyes fell on Little My, who stood right beside the young troll.

“I’m sorry for fighting you, Little My. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” the cat-like creature asked his Mymble sister as he knelt down on one knee, looking into her green eyes.

“Are you serious? Don’t be silly!” Little My rolled her eyes, a toothy smile on her face. “Next time this happens, I won’t go easy on you!” 

Snufkin huffed a laugh as he stood up. Moominmamma took his clothes and headed off to wash them. Once she had finished, she set them out to dry and joined the rest of the Moomin family and the two siblings as they gathered in the living room.

“Now, Snufkin,” Moominmamma began warmly. “Why don’t you tell us about your winter adventure that got you so dirty?”

Snufkin’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Of course, Mamma! Well, I travelled somewhere very warm, right? Not even a drop of snow in sight. Well, there was this park keeper, and…” Snufkin’s voice rambled on with excitement as the Mumrik went on about his latest adventure, speaking of all the things he had done and all that had happened due to the Mumrik’s mischievous nature. 

While he spoke, Snufkin couldn’t help but find himself comfortable, glad he had creatures to return to every spring who would care for him if he needed it.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a really fun one to write! I had a lot of fun playing around with Snufkin’s characterizations. I like to imagine him as having a lot of cat-like characteristics.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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